Kovic leads Quakers against alma mater

In case Penn gymnastics coach Tom Kovic has been waxing sentimental about his alma mater lately, those longings will be put to rest when Penn meets Temple twice in the next three days. Tonight at 7 p.m. the Quakers make their way up Broad Street to McGonigle Hall to face the red hot Owls squad and will see them again Saturday at the Towson Invitational. While Kovic may have gone to Temple, his troops know a bit about the Owls as well. Penn (7-2) has gone up against them twice this season, both times finishing behind them. Although Temple (12-3) does enter this intra-city dual on a tear, it wasn't too long ago these Owls were on the endangered species list. After falling prey to the budget ax, the team found itself reinstated only after an outpouring of alumni support. "It's certainly not a distant memory," Temple coach Ken Anderson said of the threatened cut. "The athletic department and the whole university are still feeling the crunch." Despite the close call earlier this year, the Owls have once again risen to their familiar preeminent status in local gymnastics. Returning to that perch has not led Temple to complacency. The team, heavily laden with upperclassmen, can't forget its tough loss to Penn last season and will be going all out. "On paper, if you put the two teams together, Temple's the stronger team," Kovic admitted. The Owls can by no means mail this one in, however. Quite the contrary. Returning to his former stomping grounds is always special for Kovic, but there is no question where his loyalties lie. "Whenever I bring a team to Temple, my blood definitely bleeds blue and burgundy," he said. Despite his assertion the Owls hold the edge this year, this meet promises some very interesting matchups. The Quakers may have the services of Beth Manley tonight. After badly spraining her ankle four weeks ago, the freshman returned to action in last Sunday's wins over Brown and Ursinus. In that meet she performed only in exhibition on the uneven bars. If she has come far enough since then to compete for an official score, she may aid in the effort to slow Temple's powerful uneven bars squad. However, tonight's most intriguing battle will be waged in the floor exercises. Lead by senior co-captain Monique Burton, who has been getting the job done for the Quakers all season, taking the event might prove to be the key to stealing a win at McGonigle. As the season winds down, ECAC championship qualification looms on the horizon. With this in mind, the Quakers main purpose must be to amass the highest point total they can, regardless of whether or not it is enough to put another notch in the win column. For this reason Penn will have its best gymnasts in, not just those that can counter Temple's weaknesses. "We can no longer spread out assignments," Kovic said. In attempting to qualify as a team for the ECAC postseason tournament in Pittsburgh, the Quakers will have six meet scores taken into account -- their two best home tallies, their two best scores on the road and their other two best totals. The cancellation of the Yale road meet two weeks ago dealt a major blow to the effort to reach the postseason. Penn no longer has the comfort of letting any opportunities to score big go by the boards. Tonight, going up against their coach's old school, this subway series of sorts should provide the perfect stage for making some important inroads to Penn's ultimate goal of standing out at March's ECAC Championship.